The Saudi Arabian Football Federation confirmed the continuation of French coach Hervé Renard at the helm of the national team after he led the Green to officially qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which is set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, despite the challenging task he faced in the qualifiers.

Renard succeeded in leading the team to achieve a new milestone, having secured qualification after a goalless draw against Iraq at the Al-Naema Stadium, in the final matches of the Asian playoff for the World Cup, thus finishing at the top based on goal difference after outperforming his direct competitor.

Saudi Arabia's qualification came thanks to their victory over Indonesia with a score of 3-2 in the first round, while Iraq won 1-0 against the same team, which granted the Green the advantage due to their offensive superiority, thus ensuring their seventh appearance in World Cup history.

Yasser Al-Mashel, the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, stated in media remarks that Renard's contract continues until the end of the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, praising his technical abilities and leadership qualities that positively reflect on the players' performance both on and off the field.

Al-Mashel added that the federation trusts the French coach's work and believes in his ability to develop the national team, confirming that "Renard only needs some additional tools and the right support to make the Saudi team capable of competing with major teams on the global stage."

In response to criticisms directed at the coach for not qualifying directly, Al-Mashel clarified that many global teams qualified through the playoffs, such as Croatia and Argentina, affirming that qualification itself is an achievement that should be built upon in preparation for the future.

The federation president's statements were accompanied by a wave of controversy following sharp criticisms from former international player Fahd Al-Harifi, who considered Renard's continuation as "a waste of time," pointing out that the team qualified with difficulty despite the weakness of the competitors, calling for comprehensive technical changes and activating the naturalization option to support positions suffering from a lack of talent.

Al-Harifi believed that the joy of qualification should not obscure the reality of the decline in technical level, explaining that the team did not deliver the expected performance despite the significant support, and that qualifying through the playoffs is not befitting the Green's history, which has been accustomed to competing for direct World Cup spots for decades.